Directions for two blind boys
by Hellsing-Heiress
Summary: Surviving was the easy part. Picking up the pieces of a broken life - now that's a challenge. Whether backwards or forwards they'll have to rely on one another for direction. (Post Third Great Ninja War)


Directions for two blind boys

Manga/Anime: Naruto/ Naruto Shippuden

Characters: Sasuke Uchiha/ Itachi Uchiha

Genre: Hurt & comfort / General / Family

Rating: T

Category: One-shot

Status: Complete

Author: Hellsing-Heiress

Word count: 3303

Summary: Surviving was the easy part. Picking up the pieces of a broken life - now that's a challenge. Whether backwards or forwards they'll have to rely on one another for direction.

As-per-usual: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. All rights are reserved for their respectful owners. I do not own any of the Naruto/Naruto Shippuden characters, including Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was not having a good day.

Not only because he was carrying so much grocery shopping that he started to feel more like a saddled donkey than a respectable Shinobi - no, if only that was the sole reason.

The more important and admittedly less comical reason for Sasuke's worse-than-usual disposition was due to his current location.

The reasonably sized house which stood opposed to him marked a very specific domain. He had seen it many times before, but it had been awhile since he had actually worked up the nerve to come within touching distance of it. There was nothing at all striking about the place - it was, at most, a modest structure; a simple one story complex, with only a small patch of vegetation around its borders to frame it.

Sasuke, upon entering a silent glaring game with the accommodation, dabbled over ideas. He sucked back strands of saliva that threatened to gather and drowned him out, whilst juggling the list of growing plans-of-actions, along with the bags of food that started to irritate his arms.

'Sasuke.'

The composure of the voice silenced all inner conflict.

The gravel beneath his feet crunched in a shallow an echo, amplified and resonating as Sasuke turned.

'What are you doing?' The soft voice asked.

The keeper of the sound was also loaded with bags and bundles, Sasuke noted, as he took in the figures appearance. The sheer amount of baggage that the man carried, along with trick of the afternoon light which morphed him to a shadowed silhouette, gave the man the exterior of an over-hung coat-rack.

If they had been two different people it just might have been funny. If there sibling relationship was slightly simpler than there may have been room for a joke. If tensions between the Uchiha and the Senju had not erupted all those years ago forcing circumstance and timing to produce such an unfortunate fate as the one the two figures endured, then maybe just maybe...

If they were not Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha - but they were, very unfortunately they were.

Sasuke broke away from looking at his elder brother to gather thoughts. The parallel shopping bags irritated him; his dark brow furrowed in a tight crease. Through his contemplation as to what strategy to adopt he remained painfully quite, answering neither his brother's question nor attempting to start another topic.

He had not planned for such an occurrence. As he had done times before, his usually visit entailed staring at the house, looking over his shoulder, staying for no more than five-six minutes and then stalking home with heavy and uncomfortable thoughts. But for some reason, on this particular day, on this particular afternoon Sasuke felt brave. He had not expected to be invited in to the house, nor had he even dared to imagine that he might have even seen his brother to hand him the goods, his thoughts had merely persuaded him to consider the location of itachi's house to the village - it was not a short distance. Looking up at the transparent plastic bags that hung loosely at either of Itachi's sides made Sasuke reconsider - it obviously wasn't that far after all.

'Sasuke,'

'Nevermind!' The young boy's feet started up as he spoke, carrying him in the direction of the forest from which led back and away from the house.

...

'...No! You don't have to-'

'I only came to give you these.' Sasuke held up one of the now clearly unnecessary bags with carless handling. 'I was gonna leave after that.'

Itachi, who had been unable to fully gage what his little brother had been saddled with, came forward to the coverage of the forest trees, freeing his vision from the harsh light of the war, afternoon.

Food stock. The well respected, dark brood of an Uchiha brother was saddled up like a well-trained mule with masses and masses of food stock. Noodles, sashimi, vegetables, fruit, bread, and a very large paper bag brimming with polished cherry tomatoes. If not for his clear look of irritation, Itachi might have enquired as to why sasuke had suddenly decided to give up the Shinobi life and become a food carter.

'Sasuke,' Itachi tried again.

'You don't need 'em. So I'll just-'

'I do.'

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed once more, but not with so much irritation as to just plain confusion.

'What do you mean? You couldn't possibly need all of your stuff and what I've brought.'

'If it were just me you'd be correct. But I do need it.'

...

'At least I'm hoping I will.'

Itachi's voice almost faulted, as if slightly unsure if he were as brave as the words he spoke.

The crease in Sasuke's brow deepened, though his mouth made not a flicker of movement. Itachi could have let out an amused sigh, if not for fear of startling his brother out of his bones. Itachi had learnt from years of experience - never presume with Sasuke, especially as of late. If he wanted progression he would have to work with what was offered. Sasuke had made the first move; it was his turn to be assertive.

'Please come inside, Sasuke. We can share.'

To say the young Shinobi looked taken aback would not be an overstatement - in any sense of the word. There was no flaming blush, no fumbling of his feet, no pointed excuses to leave - he was just still, stuck with no motivation to either accept or flee.

'Please.'

A look was shared at this point. There was nothing particular about it. It did not reflect stars, nor ignite feelings of deep sustenance - but it was important. It was the first time the brothers had taken the opportunity to really look at one another, and not just look but actually see one another - and that was something no sparks or stars could compensate for.

Before a huff of frustration could escape from Sasuke, he felt a shift of air brush to his side. His gaze turned, following Itachi as he crossed over the path that led to the house, until he reached the entrance and began sliding the front door aside.

Quickly distributing his things inside, Itachi bent to shed his sandals and placed them to the side, turning back slowly to place a calm hand to the side of the door.

Itachi looked out with something stronger than intent.

'Come.'

To his slight surprise the younger Uchiha obeyed almost instantly, with only a few seconds of inward eye rolling to separate the moments of command and follow. Contented by the sight of him stepping forward, Itachi turned back into the hall of the house, once more picking up bags and walked to forward to the small kitchen at the back of the house.

Itachi moved with ease around the kitchen. He came into the room moments after his brother, being detained by the etiquette of taking off his own sandals which had given Itachi a few seconds of solitude to collect his thoughts and regain his usual composure. But as Sasuke entered the open room he saw his brother's shoulders fall back into themselves; reassured to be back in familiar territory.

A staggering difference from being in Konoha - Sasuke didn't even have to imagine, he himself was a 'anti-hero', but he supposed not the extent his brother was. The gravity of how much effort must have been put into that trip finally sunk down into him - Itachi must have desperately needed to go, which would certainly explain the staggering amount of supplies that he'd brought back. Perhaps he was trying to make the venture count, assuring such trips did not have to be too frequent. Sasuke could easily understand why he wouldn't want a repeat performance - he himself was still infuriating uncomfortable being in Konoha, to Itachi it must have been like a living limbo of the most terrible kind - was he an enemy? - was he a ally? - and worst of all would those questions ever be answered?

Even after all this time, even after the paperwork and the politics and the ridiculous fear of even more scandal surrounding all parties involved - even after _everything_ it was still unbearably awful. It had been almost an entire year since the reveal of the truth - the ugly and terrible truth behind of the eradication of the Uchiha clan. And although he was no longer an official threat to the Shinobi world (removed from both the bingo book and bounty list) Itachi was certainly no commodity - to anyone. For all his brilliance and exceptional loyalty, he had been made, he was redundant.

Too busy being flung over by each wave of inner confliction; Sasuke's conscious only registered the call of a voice on Itachi's third and loudest attempt. Snapping from his haze, Sasuke's expression was so lacked that he may have appeared vacant.

'I said, 'go through, Sasuke'. I'll be finished unpacking soon.'

Zoned back into the situation, Sasuke abided swiftly, and turned back only once to glance over his shoulder, briefly sighting Itachi's slow and careful movements as worked around and through his kitchen.

The sitting room was an extremely pleasant looking room. Furnished with only the most basic of requirements, the room held a most pleasing tone of Japanese efficiency, a calming blend of simplicity and comfort. Choosing the most out-of-the-way place to perch Sasuke sank low into the seat and let out a hushed sigh whilst listening to the faint sounds of tinkering from the kitchen.

Soft sounds crawled out into the open plan of the room. The hiss of running water, followed by the click and slow boil of a hob-kettle mused out from the kitchen as Sasuke started to chew on the side of his bottom lip, counting each chew with pedantic precision.

Although his dark eyes travelled thoroughly over the plan of the room as he waited, the young male was most definitely not taking the opportunity to intake solid information. It was a very strange experience, to see everything plain and bare but feel unable to retain the image when his gaze travelled off - very strange, indeed. It was if the free presentation of Itachi's world was more puzzling than the numerous years spent trying to uncover and figure the maze of lies that had made him an enigma to his own little brother. There definitely a sense of confusion to this simplicity - a sense that unsettled Sasuke.

'Is barley OK?'

'You didn't have to.' Sasuke closed his eyes quickly and scratched a tufted of hair at the back of his neck, whilst Itachi placed the tea tray atop the small coffee table that centred the room.

'I wanted to.'

His words were firm and held an uncompromising tone - he meant it, Sasuke knew that.

Bending down to sit, Itachi quietly tucked himself into the table, balancing his folded legs onto a small embroider cushion and picked up the tea pot to serve. He looked sufficiently composed. Sasuke wouldn't go as far to say relaxed, he wasn't really sure if that was even possible for either of them, at least at the moment, but the eldest brother did at least appear to be putting his anxieties into productive action.

Watching with an intensity that bordered on voyeurism Sasuke mused over the image of Itachi alongside the mundanely process of tea-making. This was his life now, he was able to take his time while making tea, leisurely plan out what to have for dinner, maybe even weed the small patch of vegetation out front - if he so wanted.

Sasuke accepted the cup Itachi offered and held it with both hands, caressing the edge of the rim, feeling for a sense of calm from the raising strands of clammy heat.

'Thanks.'

Itachi raised his head from his ministrations, his eyes brightening.

'You're welcome.'

...

He sat up and straightened his back to bring his own cup up to his lips and blow quietly at the rim.

...

Just as Sasuke was deciding whether or not to bear with the upcoming awkwardness that would not doubt follow the heavy silence, Itachi's eyes ignited and his mouth opened to speak.

'Thank you.'

Sasuke squeezed his cup lightly and tapped a wandering finger against its side.

'For bringing me those supplies - you didn't have to. And I appreciate it very much.'

The warm cup received another and noticeably harder squeeze.

'It's fine.'

...

'It's more than fine; it was very considerate of you.'

Sasuke scrunched his nose at Itachi's persistence and almost gave a huff in protest.

'You make it sound like an act of charity,'

Itachi gave a little smirk.

'Isn't it?'

The words rang dry to Sasuke. Dry, dead words. Unable to scramble a coherent response Sasuke lifted his cup and took a large gulp - partly because talking to Itachi was making him dry-mouthed, but mostly because having nothing to do made him irritable and feel pent-up.

'Is it OK? You didn't answer?'

Bringing the cup from his face, Sasuke looked down into his lap, wresting the handle of the cup between his calloused fingers before hefting out his response with a less-than-fascinated tone.

'It's tea.'

Itachi was not even able to blink before he was propelled by an enormous rush of dopamine that rushed through and out, out in the alarmingly animated form of laughter. The sound alone stilled something inside Sasuke's score - any slouch that was in him had been subsequently pressed out.

Itachi's laughter had a rich and deep quality. It lasted for no more than a few seconds, so brief that Sasuke had almost wished it had stayed longer - wanting to confirm he had really heard such a sound from such a person.

The laughter eased out into a faded exhale of breath and Itachi concluded with a small cough, bringing up a hand to cover a small but ever so persistent grin.

'Really, Sasuke, I knew you had gotten stronger, but your powers of observation are truly unbeatable.'

The teasing tone did not go unnoticed.

...

'Hn, it's tea. What am I supposed to say?'

They shared their second look of the day.

...

Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha - the infamous Uchiha siblings of Konoha. Terrorised by their puritanical blood line, ashamed by the wretchedness and greed of their predecessors, the two had indeed suffered their dues more than most men of their age. And despite all that, despite all the hurt and the fear and the years of misunderstanding and anguish, in that one moment, in the fleetest of seconds neither one could subside the strange feeling of humour that had overcome them.

After all these years, after endless misunderstanding, unresolved issues and unanswered questions, the monumental moment of reckoning had occurred and culminated in a most fascinating discussion of barley tea. What's not humorous about that? Sasuke could only imagine trying to explain the first topic of conversation when Naruto asked about the trip. He'd have to know the horrifying truth about the first port of call when talking to Itachi:

'_Nevermind getting out all our feelings about the years of pain and mistreatment we've suffered, Naruto. We needed to figure out what tea compliments our sensitive Uchiha pallets!' _

It was Sasuke's turn to gasp out a laugh.

'Not very much, I imagine.' Itachi responded with a smirk.

Sasuke's shot out a large disbelieved breath and sputtered another laugh, 'Then why did you ask?!'

The brother's closed their eyes as the quiet sounds of laughter fluttered out. They stayed like that for a long moment, silently luxuriating in the calm of mirth.

It was wonderful.

It had been a very long time since Itachi had even thought of applying that word to a situation he was in - and that in itself was wonderful as well.

'That was good,' Itachi's words were light and relaxed.

Sasuke, who was languidly coming down from his own laugh raised a dark eyebrow and softly shook his head in mock-disbelief.

'It would seem your powers of observation aren't too shabby either.'

A final exhale pushed out from Itachi, before he joined his brother with the soft shaking of his own head, attempting to cover his continuous and apparently still withstanding smirk. Even as children, Itachi couldn't recall a time that he had felt so free, so contented and carefree.

'Thank you, Sasuke.'

A slight, mock-scowl formed on Sasuke's face.

'You already said-'

'Not just for the food - for everything, really.'

Sasuke wasn't sure he even had the emotional capacity to take in the look of genuine feeling in Itachi's eyes. Bold, dark circles that orbed the strongest emotions Sasuke knew. He reached forward and grasped the porcelain coloured teapot, serving both cups full before retracting and taking a shallow sip.

'This tea really is fantastic.' Sasuke cooed with a grin.

Itachi's shoulders quirked up and then down in a soft jerk, his body unable to fight the high of playfulness that the two were exchanging.

In the short twenty minutes that they had spent alone together Sasuke felt as if he'd connected more with Itachi than he had done with anyone else in his entire life. The gravity of their bond was reaffirmed once more, the depth and joy and fear of it all was churned up in both his mind and most painfully in his heart - an organ for which happiness had been far too absent from.

'Be careful what you say,' Itachi warned with a warm voice. 'I'll serve nothing else but this the next time.'

Taking another sip allowed Sasuke a moment. He mulled over the prospect of 'next time'. On approach, this visit alone had taken an incredible amount of deliberation and frustration from him - sleepless nights and drunken ventures with an intolerable best friend had been withstood just to have the mere drive to attempt it, and yet, here, right here in a single solitary moment Itachi had confirmed that this would occur again.

Sasuke was, to say the least, thankful the boot-up process did not have to be repeated any time in the foreseeable future - he was not certain his liver could handle the strain.

With his mind put to as much peace as possible, Sasuke swallowed the last remnants of the tea and placed the cup back down to the tray, standing up in a fluid movement. The white's of Itachi's eyes enlarged, following up Sasuke's tall figure until he met his eyes.

The openness of Itachi's gaze bordered on haunting - so much so that if it had been anybody else Sasuke would've sworn that he saw a twinge of worry.

This aside he had made up his mind.

'I should be going.'

Deliberating, Itachi made no move to challenge the decision. In his mind it was a complete and undeserved miracle that Sasuke had even made contact with him. Progression could only be made successfully in slow steps. Itachi had been sent a blessing; he was not one to question why it had been sent. Instead he would be patience and accept - accept anything Sasuke was prepared to give, gladly.

Resolved he unfolded one leg after the other and stood to match his brother. They walked slowly back through the plan of the house, trekking into the kitchen, discarding the tray of crockery and finally coming back through to the hall, stopping at the end, allowing Sasuke to kneel and retrieve his sandals.

...

'Goodbye, Sasuke.'

Sasuke stared out to the sight of the darkening light, it was almost evening and the warmth of the afternoon had almost faded from the air, making the breeze crisp in his throat.

'This isn't goodbye.'

Itachi was stood so close to Sasuke that he could faintly feel the warmth of his broad back. If he reached out only by a few centimetres he would be able to feel it too. The sensible Uchiha decided against such an idea - it was far too early to risk a flooding defect. Beside himself with more hope than he dared to imagine, Itachi was more than fully contented with the visit.

...

'Next time, right?' Sasuke's voice held a resolve that left no room to be proven wrong - not a question at all really -not even a rhetorical one - just a plain and honest declaration.

'Of course,'

With a final tap of his sandal against the ground, Sasuke breathed out and stepped a foot forward off the entrance.

'Work hard, Sasuke.'

...

'You too,'

...

'Nii-san.'

Within a few short seconds nothing remained of Sasuke's image. But in his stead a small and rather determined smile graced over Itachi's face.

Itachi Uchiha, for the first time in far too long, had had a very good day.

...

'Thank you for _everything_, Sasuke.'

* * *

Oh my giddy aunt! How long has it been? Rhetorical question, of course!

I literally scribbled this down in a night, so if it does suck on a monumental scale then I do apologise hence forth! I couldn't contain my Uchiha sibling feelings any longer! Every song I hear, every film I watch I can always find something to relate back to these two.

Anyway, back to be a serious writer for a second! I hope that everyone is well in 2013! I know I haven't uploaded a single thing in an unforgiveable amount of time, however I had just started University and life had been going at the speed of light (no hyperbole at all in that sentence, I assure you - *cough*)

As-per-usual please let me know what you think! I'm sure everyone says this but a review can really change a day for a writer! Whether constructive criticism or just a quick note to say if you actually liked the piece, it's just so nice to see that someone gets something out of what you write. I'm going to try and be as brutally honest as I can with this, I'm not sure how often or not I will be updating any of my current stories, I've actually gotten quite a few messages - particularly about Itasaku related things, but I can promise news about that very soon, so please check my page for any information you might want prior to this event.

Thank you very much for reading and hopefully won't be too long before I'm here again.


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